Mirror, Mirror on Her Wall (Mirrors Don't Lie Book 2)

by Becki Willis

  “He’s not worth it,” she said sadly.

  “No,” Travis agreed in a low voice. “But you are.”

  Her heart curled into a cozy ball, then flowered out deliciously as she laid her head on the seat and simply stared at him, taking in his handsome profile.

  “What?” he asked self-consciously.

  Covering their clasped hands with her other one, she smiled and said, “You’re kind of a sweetie pie, yourself.”

  He merely growled, refusing to comment as he concentrated on driving.

  After a half mile of silence, he spoke. “I don’t want to alarm you, but there’s a car following us.”

  “There is?” Kenzie whirled around in the seat, staring at the empty road behind them. “Where?”

  “It will be coming around that bend in a few seconds. See? That blue sedan. The same one parked in the Senator’s driveway.”

  “Maybe it’s Kate. She’s probably heading back to her hotel, just like us.”

  “Nope. It has two men in it.”

  “Maybe it’s Jimmy and Leroy, the technicians for the magazine. Maybe they rode separately from Kate.”

  “These men are wearing dark suits and headphones.”

  “Headphones? Maybe it’s Franks.”

  “That skinny little guy that looks like he talks to himself all the time? Nope, too tall. His head would hardly come over the dash.” Travis flashed a smile that momentarily distracted Kenzie. “One of the men is the same one I saw in the tree-line at the house. Definitely security.”

  “They could simply be going into town. They may not be deliberately following us.”

  “One way to find out.” Travis pressed his foot onto the accelerator. Even though they kept a generous distance behind, the blue car sped up, as well.

  When they reached town, Travis drove past their hotel and took a side street. The blue car turned with them. After several twists and turns, they no longer saw the car behind them.

  “What was all that about?” Kenzie asked as they finally pulled into their hotel, alone. “Why on earth would they be following us?”

  “They were sending us a message.”

  “What message?”

  “To quit asking questions.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Back at the hotel, Kenzie took something for her headache and rested on the couch while the others hovered around the computer, going over a few more details Hardin had discovered.

  With the help of Kenzie’s computer program, Hardin was able to scan the old photographs into the system and sharpen some of the details. Faces became more distinct and backgrounds more distinguishable. Even though some of the faces were unfamiliar, some belonged to prominent elected officials. And Harry Lawrence appeared in more than one of the prints.

  After a while, Makenna joined Kenzie on the couch. “Head better?”

  “Yes, I think so. I think I just needed to rest for a little while.”

  “But your leg is hurting.” It was a statement, not a question.

  “It’s been a busy first week out of the cast,” Kenzie admitted. “I’m glad yours is so much better.”

  “Hardly hurts at all, unless I’ve done a lot of walking. Then it might hurt a little at night. Yours will get there soon.”

  “What’s in the suitcase?” She eyed the small case resting near the coffee table.

  “My box.” Makenna unzipped the lid, revealing the sole item nestled carefully inside. “While the guys go over the papers one more time, I thought we could look at this again. Maybe we’ve overlooked something.”

  “Maybe,” Kenzie said doubtfully as her sister took the lid off the white box of her past.

  “I thought for sure this doll was hiding a secret, but I can’t find a one.” Makenna turned the toy over in her hands, waving its red yarn hair in the air. “You look. Maybe I missed something.”

  Kenzie examined each seam of the doll and every piece of tiny clothing she wore. She even separated the yarn hair and searched the cloth head for hidden clues. “Nothing,” she confirmed.

  “Then there’s this book. A story about a kitten in a taxi. Think that’s some sort of clue?”

  “Hmm. I remember getting to have my first and only pet, a kitten named Powder Puff. But that was after we were separated. I hardly see how that could be a clue.”

  “Maybe the taxi ride is the clue. Where does the taxi take the kitten?”

  Kenzie opened the book and read the first few lines. “‘Zoom! Cars were all around. Red cars. Blue cars. Black cars, going fast. Green cars, going faster. Kitty jumped back from the busy curb.’” She frowned, her finger hovering over the letters of the first word.

  Makenna noticed her hesitance. “What? What is it? You remember something, don’t you?”

  “These little marks on the page. I’ve seen these before.”

  “We saw them the other day, remember? You commented that at least I drew in my books in a clean, neat manner.”

  “That’s not it.” She shook her black curls.

  “What, then?”

  “I’m not sure. But I think … Travis, where’s that list of scrambled names?”

  At the table, Travis was making an observation of his own. “Hold on a second. Let me see that contract. That one, too. I want to check something out.”

  “Kenzie thinks she found something!” Makenna said excitedly, hurrying to the table with her sister.

  “I think I did, too,” Travis murmured distractedly.

  Hardin found the list Kenzie asked for and watched expectantly as she compared the marks beneath the incoherent letters of the list to those in the book. “It’s a perfect match!” she said with excitement. “See these three little dots under the Z? Same three dots are here in this name. One of the O’s in zoom has a dash under it. Same dash here. The M has a little dash above. See that same dash here on line three? Those same marks are all through this list of scrambled names.”

  “The book is the key code,” Hardin murmured.

  “Where’s some paper?” Makenna was already reaching for a pen. “I’ll write out the alphabet and put the correct marks with each letter. Then we can translate.”

  “That might not be necessary,” Travis said. “That first name on the list. Tell me how many letters in each name.”

  Makenna scanned the scrambled letters. “Six in the first. Eight in the last.”

  “Is there a J in the story? See if the first letter in both names correlates.”

  Kenzie scanned the first paragraph. Her eyes landed on the word jumped. “Dot, forward slash, dash. What’s beneath the first letter?”

  “Same thing,” Hardin confirmed.

  “I think the first name on that list is Josiah Johnston.”

  The others quickly double-checked the letters, finding the correlating marks to confirm his suspicions. “It fits,” Hardin nodded.

  “Josiah Johnston. Isn’t he a former Congressman? I covered a story about him for the paper when he retired a couple of years ago,” Makenna said. “He represents Florida, but his son is a State Representative in Austin. Why was his name on the list?”

  “More importantly, how did you know it was on the list?” Kenzie wondered.

  “His name is on at least two of these contracts, and I recognized him in one of those photographs. We already know Harry Lawrence shows up both places. See if the third name on that list is his.”

  After confirming the senator’s name written in code, Travis studied another paper. “His name matches up to one of these account numbers. This proves he was definitely profiting from Modern Power.”

  Kenzie bit her bottom lip. “I wonder if Craven knows,” she murmured. “No, I’m sure he doesn’t. He’ll be devastated.”

  Travis glowered but made no comment.

  They diligently decoded the remaining names on the list, most of which belonged to some of the 90’s top lawmakers in the country. Several of them were still in office. At the time Modern Power was established, its founders included three Sen
ators, two Congressmen, one federal judge, and one very influential DC businessman; the other two names were those of known associates within the Zaffino mafia.

  “So far,” Hardin commented, “we can’t rationalize any reason the mafia would suddenly want to find your father again, after all these years.”

  Makenna huddled next to him, her green eyes huge with worry. “I thought they didn’t like to be double-crossed. That’s what you told me from the beginning,” she reminded him.

  “They don’t. And I’m sure they would love to find your father and use any measures necessary to recoup the money he funneled into his own accounts, if that’s what he did. Nevertheless, why now? Why the renewed efforts to find him? It doesn’t make sense.”

  “What about the bonus when the project went on-line?” Kenzie asked. “Supposedly our father was having it wired directly into his own Swiss bank account.”

  Travis spoke up. “I find no mention of any bonus in any of these contracts. All of these look – for lack of a better word – perfectly legit, as far as structure goes. Standard issue contracts, negotiating price and distribution of funds. There is no mention of any stipend of any kind.”

  “Are you saying Joseph Mandarino wasn’t skimming off the top?” Makenna clarified.

  “I didn’t say that. There were nine companies within the Modern Power conglomerate, with dividends paid into ten private accounts. I’m assuming your father was the tenth share, with or without their knowledge. Maybe he got a cut for doing the books, who knows? I see where his share was split into accounts for each of his fourteen aliases, which tells me he knew he might have to go underground at some point. Innocent men don’t run. But I don’t see anything about a bonus upon completion. I think that was just a ploy to explain why someone was trying to flush him out after all this time.”

  “I know you have a theory about Harry Lawrence,” Kenzie said. “But what about Raymond Foto? He’s part of the mafia. Doesn’t that prove the Zafinnos are behind this? When he didn’t deliver, they had him killed.”

  “Maybe. Or maybe that’s just what someone wanted us to believe.”

  “What do you mean?” Makenna asked.

  “There’s a very good chance that it is exactly what it looks like; the Zafinnos hired Foto to find your father and had him killed when he didn’t deliver. However, there’s just as good a chance that someone else, most likely an up and coming Presidential hopeful, would use that assumption to hire the man himself. And with Foto in custody and possibly willing to cut a deal, there’s an excellent chance it was the Senator who ordered him killed. This is the kind of scandal that would destroy his entire career and any hopes of being elected as President. He would be sent to prison, not the White House.”

  “I-I just can’t believe the Senator could do this.” Kenzie’s voice came out sounding dazed.

  “Since when are you such a big fan of the Senator’s? I thought you didn’t quite trust the man,” Makenna frowned.

  “I didn’t trust his motives. I don’t think his concerns about the flood were merely about justice for the people of Colorado; it gave him excellent press coverage to get his name and his cause out there. But I do believe his concern for a better earth is genuine. According to Craven, and from what I could see for myself, he truly believes in green energy and conserving resources and saving our planet for future generations.”

  “Maybe Mr. Sweetie Pie has sprouted his campaign rhetoric so long that he’s started to believe it himself.”

  Kenzie sent Travis a withering look. “Don’t even start,” she warned him.

  “Okay, you two,” Makenna broke in. “For a minute, let’s forget about… Mr. Sweetie Pie, is it?” She, too, sent Travis a scolding look. “Let’s focus on the Senator. Let’s say he does believe in green energy and saving the earth. Maybe his intentions were good when he threw in with Modern Power. He still went about it the wrong way. Essentially, he stole from the American people. He used inside information and knowledge to get grants and so forth. He was involved in creating those shell corporations. Even if some of them later became legitimate companies or legally folded, he was part of the fraud that built them. And he definitely profited from all of this, if those figures on that paper are real.”

  “No matter what good may have come from Modern Power in the long run, he’s still dirty,” Hardin agreed. “He may have turned things around and done a lot of good things over the past twenty five years, and he may regret getting involved with the mafia and the mess surrounding all this. But the past always come back to haunt you. I’m sure he would do just about anything to keep this secret buried.”

  “Including murder?” Makenna murmured.

  “Men like Harry Lawrence, men hungry for power and control, will go to just about any length to keep that power. He can’t afford to have a secret like this out there somewhere, threatening to topple his empire.” The chill of Hardin’s words echoed in the quietened room.

  “I guess the real problem is that saving the earth turned out to be quite profitable for companies like Modern Power,” Makenna mused. “And then it became more about saving themselves than saving the world.”

  Kenzie was frowning, her mind hung on the phrase. “Go out and save the world,” she whispered.

  “What did you say?”

  “It was something our mother said in her letter. The last line was ‘Go out and save the world, my child!’ My mother didn’t talk like that. She didn’t care about the world or anyone in it, other than herself.”

  “Do you think it was a clue of some sort?”

  “I’m not sure. But I think I remember that was Harry Lawrence’s slogan when he ran for office the first time. And I heard Kate use the phrase at least once today.” Kenzie’s fingers flew over the keyboard as she brought up the articles on Harry Lawrence. “Yes, here it is. ‘ Together, Let’s Save the World’ was his tag line.”

  “I think maybe your mother was warning us about Senator Lawrence,” Makenna reasoned.

  “Why him?” Hardin wondered. “What made him more powerful than the rest?”

  “Maybe he was more dangerous. Or maybe he had more to lose, even way back then, because he was the mastermind behind it all,” Travis speculated.

  “So do we have enough evidence to go to the authorities?” Makenna asked.

  “I think so. I would say there’s sufficient evidence here to get a conviction, even without uncovering anything else,” Hardin said.

  “But you know there will be more,” Kenzie murmured. “Like Travis said, this is about to get very messy.” She stood up and paced the room, her hands tented over her mouth. Her head was beginning to pound again. She finally stopped and looked up at Travis. “What now?”

  “We go back home. We’ll present all of this to Captain Ramirez. I trust him explicitly. He will see to it that the evidence gets to the proper authorities. Hardin?” He looked at his friend to make certain they were in agreement.

  “Agreed. I definitely think it’s our best bet at this point.”

  “So much responsibility lies in our hands,” Kenzie whispered. “What if we lose some of the evidence?”

  Hardin spoke up from behind them, where he had her sister wrapped in his embrace. “Makenna and I spent the day scanning documents into the computer and saving them. We made multiple back-ups, plus e-mailed everything to all four of us. The hard copies we guard with our lives.”

  Kenzie could not stop the shudder that snaked down her spine. “This is dangerous, isn’t it?”

  Travis lifted her chin with a crooked finger, forcing her to look at him. His eyes were dark and serious. “I won’t lie to you. Yes, this is very dangerous. We are about to topple a lot of empires, crush a lot of careers. There will be some very powerful people in some very high places that are going to do everything in their power to stop us.”

  “We have to do this. We have to expose them,” Kenzie insisted.

  “Yes.” When he opened his arms, she stepped into them.

  Chapter Twen
ty-Five

  Their group was solemn as they packed for Texas.

  Trusting in his officers’ judgment, Texas Ranger Captain Ramirez arranged to send a private plane to New Hampshire as requested. He did not question their motive nor doubt they had good reason for their secrecy; the word of Rangers Kaczmarek and Merka was good enough for him.

  “I’m sorry we didn’t have time to do any sight-seeing,” Makenna said as they settled into the car. “I was hoping to show you two the mountains and all the waterfalls.”

  “And the covered bridges,” Hardin piped up.

  “Yes, and the covered bridges. Maybe we could plan a trip up here this fall. I know it must be gorgeous when all the leaves are changing colors.”

  Kenzie simply murmured, “I bet so.” She didn’t dare assume her tentative relationship with Travis would be any more defined by fall. At any rate, she doubted they would be at the “vacationing together” stage by then.

  “It might be hard for Travis to get away then, if he gets his big promotion,” Hardin remarked.

  “Promotion?” Kenzie asked, clearly impressed.

  Hardin glanced at his friend, his look wary. “She doesn’t know?”

  “She doesn’t know what?” Kenzie frowned.

  Travis looked uncomfortable as he adjusted and re-adjusted his hat upon his blond head. He finally answered, “I’m up for a promotion. Lieutenant.”

  “That’s wonderful, Travis,” Kenzie said with a warm smile of sincerity. She had no right, but a surge of pride swept through her. “Congratulations.”

  “Yes, that’s wonderful,” Makenna agreed. “You deserve it.”

  There was a slight lull before Travis met Kenzie’s eyes in the rear view mirror. “It’s in Nacogdoches,” he said quietly.

  Kenzie felt the blood drain from her face. Feeling the hope drain from her heart was worse. She managed a strangled, “Oh.”

  “I haven’t made a decision yet,” he was quick to say. “And I may not get it.”

  There was an awkward silence in the car. Kenzie was certain everyone could hear the breaking of her heart, the squeaky wheeze of her lungs. Averting her face to stare out the window, she hoped her voice did not betray her true heartache. “You should take it,” she managed to say. “It sounds like a great opportunity.”